Fountain of Life: Ensuring water safety for Tajik herdsmen

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Thousands of ethnic Tajiks live in China's western-most borderland. Since 2014, the local government of the remote Tashkurghan county in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has been working to provide clean water for the herders. CGTN's Sun Tianyuan reports.

When city dwellers need water, they simply turn on the tap. But it's not that easy for people on the Pamir Plateau. Tajik herdsmen have lived in this mountainous borderland for generations. And getting water has been a daily quest.

SUN TIANYUAN TASHKURGHAN COUNTY "The herdsmen used to fetch water either from the wetland where they herd their cattle or from an underground well 120 meters deep. However, the water quality might not be up to healthy drinking standards. Now with the government's help, villagers can drink and use clean tap water."

The county built a 10-kilometer-water-system down the mountains, pumping water directly into each household of the government-built village.

ZAINAPU ABDULA RESIDENT OF BAIGAWULE VILLAGE "Our living standards have improved greatly. We used to carry two empty barrels - on foot or by a donkey - to get water kilometers away. But now cooking, laundry, and everything else is much more convenient."

Not long ago, many people suffered illnesses including dental fluorosis and joint aches. Both are results of slow poisoning of excessive fluoride in the drinking water.

ADILIXIA MUMINGXIA RESIDENT OF BAIGAWULE VILLAGE "A doctor once told me at the hospital that I was sick from the water I drank. Luckily, my insurance covered 100 percent of the bill. Now we are using safe and clean water so health is guaranteed."

700 villagers are benefiting from the water plant. That's one of the 33 facilities built by the county since 2014.

WU HONGYAN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR TASHKURGHAN COUNTY BUREAU OF AGRICULTURE & RURAL AFFAIRS "The water is now completely up to the drinking standards. The county has now covered 99 percent of the households. In two months, we will have full coverage in the entire area."

The county has solved the water problem for more than 8,000 people. The next goal is to help the other 40 households and leave no one behind. Sun Tianyuan, CGTN, Tashkurghan, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.